Harsh Jain says Dream Sports has “moved on from gaming” as it launches new fan engagement platform

Dream Sports Co-founder and CEO Harsh Jain announced a major strategic pivot for the company, unveiling a new fan engagement and second-screen sports entertainment platform designed to transform how fans watch matches together online.

Speaking at a press interaction at the company’s Mumbai office, Jain said Dream Sports has “moved away from gaming altogether,” focusing instead on building a virtual fan community experience that allows users to watch matches alongside creators, influencers and fellow supporters.

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The launch marks a decisive shift for Dream Sports after it began winding down real-money fantasy gaming operations in response to the Progressive Online Gaming Act (PROGA) 2025. The legislation compelled India’s largest fantasy sports operator to shut its primary revenue-generating vertical, prompting organisational restructuring, cost optimisation and a long-term sustainability reset.

Jain acknowledged the significant transition, saying the company consciously stopped real-money operations as soon as the law signaled its intent.

“Look, when it was legal, we ran it legally. We scaled it. When the government said illegal that same day, we stopped it.”

He also referenced the 17-year Dream11 journey that began in a small Lower Parel office in 2008.

A Platform Built for Watching Sports Together, Virtually

Jain explained that Dream Sports’ new product is aimed at solving a universally shared problem- sports fans increasingly watch matches alone despite wanting a communal, emotional experience.

“It’s damn depressing to watch a match alone,” he said. “We all want to watch a match alone together. I want to watch it at home, but never actually alone.”

He highlighted how sports viewing behaviour has shifted, with nuclear families, long work hours and mobility constraints reducing physical viewing gatherings. Meanwhile, 80% of fans already use a second screen during matches, switching between score apps, social platforms and chats.

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The new Dream Sports platform aims to unify all those fragmented interactions. “We’re the popcorn to your movie. We’re here to make every match more exciting,” Jain said.

Watch-Alongs with Creators, Not Broadcasting Matches

The platform will offer creator-led watch-along rooms where fans can join influencers and sports personalities reacting live to games, share commentary, emote together, and participate in real-time conversations.

Jain emphasised it will not broadcast live match content or clips, avoiding rights conflicts:

“Think of this exactly like having your friends in the room. Watch-alongs are watching the match together, not showing the match. You can watch creators reacting, not the broadcast.”

Early partners include around 25 creators, ranging from mainstream sports presenters to digital influencers.

These watch-alongs can host over 100,000 concurrent participants—an audience size already proven on YouTube and Twitch, Jain said.

Monetisation Through Virtual Interactions

Like YouTube’s SuperChat model, revenue will come from premium interactions rather than wagering or gameplay.

“You can pay for shout-outs, to ask a question, or to collab and join a creator on video in front of a million people,” Jain explained. “This is all standard virtual currency, entirely away from any kind of game.”

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Creators will take the lion’s share of earnings while Dream Sports keeps a smaller platform fee.

Why This Isn’t YouTube or Hotstar

Responding to comparisons with leading broadcast platforms, Jain said the key differentiator lies in integrating sports context and live data directly into the watch experience.

“YouTube is everything for everyone. But when you’re watching sports, you need the scorecard, the action feed, live stats, integrated into the creator stream. Otherwise you’re watching a YouTube video and checking Cricbuzz separately.”

Calling the experience “second-screen dominated”, he said broadcasters and Dream Sports are complementary, not competitive. “If fantasy sports was their friend, this will become their best friend.”

The new platform is only restricted to users above 18+ age and doesn't allow minors to engage.

A New Phase for Dream Sports

Jain framed the pivot as the beginning of another long building cycle, similar to the fantasy sports journey that took five years to find product-market fit.

“We have also changed as founders. The first time we were secretive. Now we spoke to 100 people, showed what we are doing, took advice and feedback.”

The Dream Sports app has been approved on Play Store and App Store and will roll out across India and globally within the next 24 hours in phases.

Jain said the company is committed to making every match emotionally engaging again.

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“Sports is crazy emotion. You want to scream, shout, abuse players, celebrate, and share it. Gen Z wants raw, unfiltered, real conversations. That’s what we’re building.”

Dream Sports will relocate its headquarters in January 2026, moving out of Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and returning to Worli — the neighbourhood where the company first began. The new office, called the “Dream Sports Stadium,” will bring all group brands under one roof, including Dream11, FanCode, DreamSetGo, DreamCricket, Dream Money, Dream Play, Dream Sports AI, The Dream Foundation and several upcoming ventures.